title: Specific detection of negative strand RNA of hepatitis C virus using chemical RNA modification.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the genome of which was molecularly cloned in the US and Japan, causes most, if not all, cases of posttransfusional non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH) and nearly half those of sporadic hepatitis. Prospective and retrospective studies revealed that nearly half of patients with acute infection develop a chronic state of HCV infection, and half of them develop to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gunji
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimotohno